Life-Long Musician
Turned Composer
My musical journey began with the faint but cherished memories of my maternal grandmother, a pianist and concert violinist. Around the mid-1970s, when I was just five or six, she would sit me at the piano and show me a few scales and chords. From that early age, I was captivated by harmony, finding joy in how notes sounded together rather than focusing on single-line melodies. Sadly, she passed away in 1980 when I was eleven, but by then, I had already begun playing the trombone, having joined my elementary school band in third grade.
Interestingly, despite my love for harmony, I chose to focus on the monophonic trombone. I excelled in high school band after moving to Florida, quickly becoming the lead chair and a showcased soloist in the marching band. I won numerous awards for solo and ensemble performances at the county and state levels during the late 1980s.
I was conditionally accepted into the University of South Florida’s School of Music, where as a freshman, I played trombone and euphonium in ensembles typically reserved for upperclassmen and graduate students. Even though I excelled in my music studies, I didn’t maintain my regular studies and eventually dropped out; a decision I’ve always regretted, especially in memory of my grandmother, who had instilled in me a deep love for music.
Afterward, I played in several metal bands around the Tampa Bay area before transitioning to a career in computer science by returning to college and earning a BS in Computer Science with a minor in Mathematics from Florida State University. Despite a successful multi-decade career in this field, I always felt a lingering sense of a lost musical calling.
Throughout my computer science career, I maintained a home-grown music studio, but it wasn’t until I made the deliberate decision to pursue a second career that that I found my redemption. Over the last several years, I completed three Professional Certificates at the Berklee College of Music and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Music Composition for Film, Television, and Games, graduating summa cum laude. Returning to formal music study at this level allowed me to reconnect deeply with the artistic foundation that first inspired me as a child.
My time at Berklee has been both transformative and affirming. My studies included advanced music theory, orchestration, counterpoint, contemporary and world composition techniques, and extensive coursework in composing for Film, Television, and Games, including electronic and hybrid scoring approaches. Through this work, I feel I have fully honored my grandmother’s legacy and reclaimed a lifelong calling. I am now looking ahead with great excitement to graduate studies in Film Scoring at Berklee, as I continue building a focused, intentional career as a professional composer.
1991-ish
2017-ish
Roy the Musical Genius
Roy the Musical Genius – Between Masterworks
1991-ish
2020-ish
Presenting Video Game History
Life-Long Gamer
Turned Computer Scientist
My grandmother, who played a pivotal role in my musical journey, also foresaw the future of computers even back in the 1970s. She was one of the rare members of America’s greatest generation who embraced the advent of home computers and video games. She encouraged me to learn this emerging skill for my future. In 1977, she bought me an Atari 2600, and almost every week, she would gift me a new game cartridge. This early exposure sparked a love for technology that led me to become a mall-rat in the 1970s and 80s, spending countless hours in video game arcades. At the age of 16 in 1985, I even took a job washing dishes at a smorgasbord to save up for my Commodore 64.
While this website focuses on my second career as a music composer, it’s worth mentioning that I have been, and still am, a dedicated computer gamer. From the early days of the i386 series through the PC revolution to today, I can easily see myself enjoying computer games at least an hour a night for the rest of my life.
Over the past few decades, I have worked for some of the largest Department of Defense contracting companies in the world, including Lockheed Martin and Cole Engineering. As a cleared Senior Lead Engineer, I operated deep within think-tank communities, leveraging video game technologies to enhance training for the US Military and the various three-letter agencies.
A notable bridge between my lengthy computer science career and my music composition career is my ability to program in practically any language. This skill enables me to seamlessly integrate audio middleware such as Wwise or FMOD and create custom audio frameworks or architectures. I can compose and integrate all audio and music into any technology, including game engines like Unity and Unreal.
As highlighted in my resume, my strengths lie in designing and implementing network infrastructures, event-based architectures, and innovating with disparate gaming technologies. This technical expertise complements my musical abilities, making me uniquely qualified to blend these two passions in my work as a composer for film, TV, and games.